Happy New Year!

President's Letter for January 2013 

New Years is my favorite holiday. I enjoy the annual entry into a new year that is wide open for possibility and opportunity. 

ICF Chicago is also anticipating a new, fresh year of programming and strategic partnership with our members, guests, Chicagoland, and beyond. Our World Café event during the December 10^th chapter meeting was full of people (50+), ideas and input from this community of coaches and we are excited to share what was “harvested” from the event.  See our website for the specific takeaways from the event, as well as more on the World Café process that you can use for your own gatherings.

We will be using this input as we plan and implement programming and more throughout this new year…stay tuned!

Speaking of harvest, one of the things I like to do at the transition of a year is to spend time looking back on what I want to harvest and take with me into the new year, and what I want to let go of and leave behind.

What do I want to take with me? I’m reminded of week one of graduate school back in the fall of 2008 where I was introduced to three questions that were to be a theme for the whole program:

·         Vocation: “What is your vocation?” Hint: “Vocation is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” Frederick Buechner

·         Values Based Leadership: “Why not dedicate the rest of my life to my three core values?” (This provides my great distinction.)

·         Active Reflection: “How are we/I becoming instruments of innovation, healing, renewal and wholeness for the world?”

These three questions have stayed with me and are something I have taken into each new year since 2008.

What about you…what would you like to harvest and intentionally bring into 2013?

What will you leave behind?

With Appreciation,
Wendy Balman

President's Letter for December 2012

Who Are Your Strategic Partners?

According to Inc magazine’s article “Choosing Strategic Partners that Really Partner” (http://www.inc.com/articles/1999/11/19511.html) by Lisa H. Buksbaum, strategic partners are ones who create alliances that are mutually beneficial, that are non-competitive, and that extend the reach, visibility and impact of both partners.

When considering a strategic partner, Buksbaum presents the following questions to consider:

“What's your gut feeling about the partner you're considering? Is there synergy? Is there a natural fit in terms of values, integrity, and personality? Do your potential partners "get it"? That is, do they have a solid understanding of your objectives and goals, and are they genuinely excited about joining forces for an alliance?”

With strategic partnership in mind, ICF Chicago will be hosting a World Café event on Monday, December 10^th as a way to better form our organization as a strategic partner to coaches, coaching organizations, and businesses and organizations that want to hire coaches in 2013.

Whether you are a coach, looking into the coaching profession, or want to hire a coach, join us for our World Café event so you can have a voice in co-creating ICF Chicago as your strategic partner in 2013.

Click here to sign up: http://icfchicagodecember2012.eventbrite.com

Hope to see you there!

With Anticipation,

Wendy Balman

President's Message for November 2012

Learn. Earn. Engage.

These three words (ICF Chicago’s theme for 2012-13) were voiced during our board retreat in August 2012, as we considered what was important to pay attention to for this next season as an organization.

Since that board retreat, we have had a transition happen on our team. In October, after thoughtful consideration, Teresa Saxton decided to step back as President of the board. As President Elect at that time, I stepped into the role of Interim President with the intent to transition to President in January 2013. Although there has been a transition in leadership, our focus and intention as a board and as an organization has not changed.

I wonder…what transitions are you experiencing in your work and life? Whatever they may be, don’t go through them alone. Participate in the ICF Chicago community through our monthly programs and coach café meetings, as well as our yearly conference and expand your personal and professional relationships and resources. 

Our next program is November 12, where you’ll be sure to be encouraged and enlightened. The topic is "The Emotion of Money: Building Wealth from the Inside Out" with Julie Murphy-Casserly   

Wishing you all the best,
Wendy Balman, MA, CPCC, ACC

 

ICF Global Liaison

Opportunities Abound at ICF Global in London this October –
 by Kam Gupta ICF Global Liaison. ICF-Chicago. citkam@gmail.com

Dear ICFC members and coach community. Below are a few of the
InfoPoints worthy of your immediate attention.

Volunteer at ICF Global 2012Registered attendees are invited to volunteer on-site in a number of roles, including: room hosts and tube station greeters. Choosing to volunteer allows attendees to meet new people and give back to the profession. How do you volunteer? Simply access the Volunteer Portal to sign up.

Official conference app coming soon!
For the first time ever, the ICF International Conference will offer an interactive app to conference attendees! The app will include an interactive show schedule; sponsor and advertiser listings (and product searches); session and event schedules; show alerts; and social media interaction.

It will be available for download from Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012 and the application stores as a native application for iPhone/iPod Touch and Android users, a hybrid version for BlackBerry, and as a Web-based application for all other smartphone users. Bookmark Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012 to know when the app is available for download!

Meet our Provocateur! 

Neil Mullarkey, co-founder of the Comedy Store Players (Europe's top improve troupe)
is serving as Provocateur at ICF Global 2012.

In previous years, a master of ceremonies (MC) has made introductions and observations during conference general sessions. This year, the MC role will expand into a role known as Provocateur. Basically defined, a provocateur is a challenger. Neil will challenge us by provoking our limits, and urging us to stretch beyond the natural boundaries of our comfort zones to stimulate and enhance connection and growth. The Provocateur (Neil) will truly be an extension of both the educational and inspirational experience at ICF Global 2012.

Learn more about Neil.

Begin planning your conference schedule
Before even stepping foot inside the Novotel London West, attendees are encouraged to have an idea of the educational sessions they would like to attend while at ICF Global 2012.

There are 42 different breakout sessions over the course of three days (led by 70 catalysts from 12 countries)—sessions, corresponding catalysts, and CCEU (Continuing Coaching Education Units) requirements are outlined at Coachfederation.org/ICFGlobal2012. Take time now to peruse these sessions and determine which will benefit you and your practice most.

Important Conference hot links Register for ICF Global 2012. Peruse ICF Global 2012 catalysts and sessions. Sponsorship and advertising opportunities. Promote ICF Global 2012 with promotional flyers and postcards; and Web banners. Tentative ICF Global 2012 schedule-at-a-glance is now available. Peruse items in the ICF Virtual Bookstore. Make a recommendation for the virtual bookstore. Make travel to England seamless. What to see and do while in London. Join the ICF Global 2012 event on Facebook. Join the ICF Global 2012 event on LinkedIn. Follow ICF Global 2012 news and updates on Twitter: #icfglobal.

President's Letter for September 2012

Dear ICF-Chicago Members,

I’m delighted to be kicking off a brand new year with ICF-Chicago!!  I’d like to thank Kam Gupta for his leadership and generous spirit as President last year and I look forward to working with him in his new role as Past-President.  His sage wisdom is a gift.  I’m also excited to be stepping into the role of President.  I am humbled to be taking the helm of a great organization in a thriving community and am committed to you, our membership, in making ICF-Chicago the place for “All Things Coaching”.

I recently completed with a client who successfully found her passion and pursued a new career.  At the end of our last session she said, “when my friends ask me about coaching I really don’t know how to explain it to them”.  WOW!!!  And, this was after ten coaching sessions!  What if we could engage every member of our community in a conversation about coaching that would inspire potential clients to commit to coaching?  What would your coaching practice look like?  My guess is clients would be knocking down your doors.  So this year our stake for ICF-Chicago is Connecting Coaches & Clients & Community to Learn, Earn & Engage.  What the heck does that mean???  It means a commitment to engaging with our communities to really get the message out about the essential need for coaching…NO KIDDING , connecting our master coaches to our newly minted coaches via a powerful mentor relationship and supporting all coaches in developing thriving coaching practices (clients and $$$). 

I’m blessed to be working with a Board of talented volunteers committed to the ICF-Chicago community.  Each board & committee member brings their unique energy, abundant talent and amazing creativity to make sure all our members have a great experience with ICF-Chicago and I’m thrilled to be teaming up with them.  Please contact any board member or Denise Bouchard if you’d like to join us in our great adventure.

BTW…You may be wondering what happened to “CCF”.  We’re still here…just undergoing a little face lift which includes a realignment of our branding with ICF.  As one of the largest chapters in North America, we want ensure that the community knows that we are part of an international organization dedicated to the support and advancement of the coaching profession.  We’re also introducing our new membership program which promises some great benefits…more info to come.

I’m looking forward to supporting each of you as we Connect Coaches & Clients & Community to Learn, Earn & Engage.

Namaste

Teresa Saxton

President

Outgoing President's Letter

1. Farewell and Aloha

I learned in my coach training and in personal development seminars, “When one door closes, many other doors open as disguised opportunities.” My year as ICF- Chicago Chapter President has been a living example for me to highlight that perspective. That is so exciting because it has also given me the strength to push or pull open doors that are now visible to me, which I did not see before.

I am so thankful, so energized, and so humbled by the fact that I was able to follow my dreams and my vision as a chapter leader and enable other Board members to avail of the same opportunities. I thank our Board members who are fantastic individuals. [For a complete list of the current Board members, look up http://www.icf-chicago.org/]

I have heard from many chapter members words of encouragement, enthusiasm, and support. They experienced value, freedom, and liberty while attending the meetings and other chapter-sponsored events. I thank our ICFC members for being the pioneers to create a powerful entity by choosing/ electing the board member who represents integrity and courage.

Coaches on the Board bring diverse and different perspectives and create something unique together. The ICFC has a mission of being ‘all things coaching’. A premier resource for the coaches, aligned with the Chicago coaching community and with its parent organization – ICF.

Soon you will hear about your new board. Please welcome them. I am sure you will also give them your full support, as well as challenge them to make sure they are at their best as coaches, and as leaders. I will continue to remain on the Board as immediate past president and support the new President and the Board in as many ways I can. I encourage you to frequently visit the web site http://www.icf-chicago.org/.

2. ICF Global 2012 (A fairy tale kind of conference)

Well, pretty close. ICF is having their ICF Global conference in London on October 3-6, 2012. Visit: http://coachfederation.org/London2012/. This is perhaps the first time ICF is holding its conference outside of  the USA and it is bound to bring lots of international and interesting coaches together. So go ahead and register early at specially discounted rates.

Break out of your routine and recharge this October. Return to work with a fresh perspective and new knowledge. And while you're in London, take some time to enjoy some of the area's many attractions - there's so much to choose from! This year, TripAdvisor has named London the "best place to visit on the planet." Millions of travelers have spoken, elevating London to destination number 1 in the Travelers' Choice Award for Top 25 Destinations in the World. 

Who knows, a glimpse of the Queen or a visit with one of the princes or princesses might be an intentioned encounter. After all, we are coaches and capable of making our dreams come true.

As an ICF Global conference liaison, I will be periodically updating you with the latest news about the ICF Global Conference on the ICFC website and other social media. In case of any questions, please feel free to contact me citkam@gmail.com. Let me know when you decide to become London bound!

3. Question for the Coaches

What have you been doing more of ‘changing’ or ‘growing’? Changing does not necessarily lead to growth. Growing always leads to change. So the question is, ‘how are you growing and in what ways are you changing?’

See you at the chapter meeting in September.

Wishing you always the best path in realizing your dreams with love, admiration, and joy to all my fellow coaches and guests of ICF-Chicago.

Kam Gupta. citkam@gmail.com. 847-612-4244

Why Are You Sorry?

President’s Message

By Kam Gupta

The world has taught us how to judge people and label them. We label people based on our filters. Based on those labels, we begin to mold our behaviors, our expectations, and our actions. We live in a world of reactions.

One such often-used reactionary word is “sorry”.  For many, it is one of the measures of being polite and cultured. “Sorry” compensates for many of our ills, willful or not. Some people use the word” sorry” to reflect humility.

Take some of the examples below:

Late for a meeting – “I’m sorry…”

An unpleasant argument – “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

After a poor performance – “I’m sorry for letting you down.”

Self-promotion – “I’m sorry IF it sounds like bragging, I am only stating the facts.”

At someone’s loss – “I am sorry…”

And just to be on the safe side, for about everything else, “I am so sorry”.

And this one I love – Watching a couple after an argument and then reconciliation efforts by one of the spouses where sorry has been lavishly showered only to leave one further frustrated, “I am sorry for saying that I am sorry.” Or “This is the last time I am saying sorry….”

In many cases, “sorry” will be supported with a long-winded story or reasons behind the situation. Such as bad traffic, weather, medical issues, indisposition, equipment breakdown, God’s will, mental instability, etc. 

You will also notice that people who get away by saying “sorry”, use the word repeatedly and without any feeling of responsibility, for they have mastered the art of being in a sorry state of flux (Watch them repeat the same situation over again).

We consider them cultured, well-mannered, and someone who is sensitive. 

I explored this topic further and spoke with people and experts as to why people use the word sorry. It was interesting to learn that there were many motives behind the “I’m sorry”.

To preempt the other party’s becoming upset by our act or action.

To avoid further questioning.

To minimize the risk of escalation.

To reflect as someone being sincere and real and mean it by taking responsibility and further action.

Someone also said, “Sorry is a perfect cover up for a perceived imperfect act.”

What are your reasons to say or be “sorry”?

When someone doesn’t say “sorry” as expected, we consider him or her to be rude, ungrateful, egotistic, and pure out of line.  Surprisingly, coaches were no different. They were just more elaborate.

As coaches, how we live our lives very much determines how we have transformed ourselves towards our natural being. Why do we say “sorry” and why do we expect others to say “sorry”? That is a question, which will raise our awareness about the meaning of un-conditionality in many aspects of our lives. As our power of coaching grows, so does the probability of eliminating the “sorry state of sorry” from our vocabulary.

Wishing you a life filled with the joys of summer. Love and laughter until next time.

Kam Gupta. citkam@gmail.com. 847-612-4244